Senate on Tuesday directed the federal government to urgently ban the importation of foreign textile materials in the country.
 The Senate is disturbed that all textile manufacturing industries in the country are comatose and importation of foreign fabrics is on the rise.
 Consequently, the Upper Chamber has urged the federal government to urgently revamp the Kaduna, Kano, Aba, United Nigeria textiles among other industries to promote local textile production.
 The decision of the Senate followed a motion by Senator Barkiya Abdullahi Kabir (Katsina Central) on the urgent need to revamp the nation’s comatose textile industry.
 Leading the debate, Kabir argued that between 1960 and 1970, the textile industry played a significant role in the manufacturing sector of the country’s economy with well over 140 functional companies.
 According to him, the industries recorded an annual growth of 67% as at 1991 and had also created employment above 25%.
 He further posited the discovery of oil affected the textile industry as a result of the decline in cotton production which was major source of raw material.
 “Government policies like increase in taxation, high cost of production, trade liberalization resulting in massive importation of textile materials has negatively affected the production of local textile materials.
“Revamping the textile industry will provide huge employment opportunities and reduce some of the social vices we have in the country today,†he stated.
 Senator Kabir added that if the textile industries are resuscitated, it will boost the nation’s economy and raise the revenue bar.
 Concurring the motion, Senate Deputy Leader, Senator Ajayi Borofice opined that the “if the country’s borders remain closed, it will encourage local textile production.â€
 However, Senate Minority leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe argued that comatose of textile industries has nothing to do with closure of borders.
 He argued that the main challenge that brought textile decline was lack of adequate power supply which he said happened since 1982.
 “I support the motion but I stand to disagree that border closure can encourage textile production, it is not border closure but the issue of power. Around 1982, textiles industries collapsed because there was lack of power supply to run production of textile industries.
 “Unless power is improved and I want the federal government to do the fundamentals, the APC national chairman, a former textile worker should encourage the federal government to revamp the industries, †Abaribe said.
 In his contribution, Senator Gabriel Suswam (Benue North East) adduced that the collapse of textile industries has lowered the the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country and that revamping the comatose industries seriously goes beyond lips service.
 Suswam, however, suggested that “government should take concrete actions such as provision of adequate power supply and dredging of the river Benue and Niger.â€
 He stated that if the textile industries are resuscitated, it will create employment and reduce criminality that is rampant in the country.
 Consequently, the Senate has urged the Federal government to encourage local textile manaufacting companies by providing them with soft loans and easy access to credit facilities through the Bank of Industry (BOI).
 Also, the Senate has directed that the federal government should urgently provide the necessary infrastructural facilities to boost textile manufacturing in the country.
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